An Exciting Drive Leaving Spello

On the day of our departure from Spello we spent the early morning walking up to the top of the town again. This was a bit earlier than normal and we were surprised to encounter children on their way to school.

We also saw several workers speed by in their BIG TRUCKS.  LW would be disappointed in these trucks because they are NOT very big, but I thought they were really cute.

It was also trash day and all the residents had their trash out to be picked up. The residents here are very ecologically aware so there was not that much trash. It was impressive.

After our walk and a few good byes to Roberto and Irene, we headed out of the town.

It was hard to say good bye to this wonderful family. They are just amazing and our time there was fabulous.

The road into Spello is one way and to leave town you must go all the way to the top and back down again. This was a thrilling trip with Hubby D at the wheel.

This is a video of our drive out of Spello. I highly recommend watching this video. It is a hoot.

If you are reading this in an email, you will need to go to my blog to view the video.

https://brendahyde.blogspot.com

Here is a link to the video.

Now you can see why we saw so many of these around Italy. THIS IS NOT A PICTURE OF OUR CAR!

We set out on our way to the Amalfi coast and our new adventure in Sorrento. As we took the ramp on the highway, we saw a road sign to Foligno and Montefalco where we toured vineyards. Awe – what great memories!

Along the way on the highway we kept passing Medieval hillside towns. Hubby D was obsessed with them.

Pretty soon we had our first glimpse of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that covered Pompeii in 79AD.  And, then our drive took us through the suburbs of Naples. We were not impressed with Naples at all. I had been warned that it was a pretty dirty city and this was very true.

Sorrento was just a short distance outside of Naples, but a completely different atmosphere. Our hotel, Grand Hotel Angiolieri was the perfect example of 5 star, old world charm and elegance.

The hotel foyer had two Murano chandeliers. Seems everywhere we go there is Murano glass.

Our room had a large, elegant terrace that looked out over Naples and Mount Vesuvius. It was a truly stunning view.

The floor in our room was a very unusual tile, quite lovely.

After settling into our room, we headed out to downtown Sorrento. Although our hotel was elegant, it was a hike to downtown and we would need to take the local train.

Trains in Italy were okay, but most local trains were a bit shady. It was sort of like the subway in New York City back in the 80's.

Regional trains were pretty nice.

Local trains were basic.  Notice the man leaning out on the left. He is the conductor making sure everyone is inside the train so it can start to move again.

We sat at on the terrace of a restaurant on the main town square and watched the people. It was a very enjoyable early evening. The next day we would be heading out to Pompeii and we wanted to be rested.

Ciao,

Brenda

Our First Cooking Class

During our stay in Italy we scheduled two cooking classes. 

Granddaughter MVL inspired me. For some time she has been taking cooking classes for entertainment with her long time steady boyfriend, EF. Every time they take a class, she tells me about it. The classes sound like so much fun, I thought Hubby D and I should try one. Europe seemed like a great place for that experiment.

Our first class was in Spello and we took a cooking class with Marco Gubbioti. Marco is a famous chef in Umbria and works a great deal with the Angelini family at Enoteca Properzio. Our class was held in the private kitchen at the Entoteca Properzio.

To say it was fabulous would be an understatement.

Do I hear a theme going on for our visit to Spello? FABULOUS!

If you go to the Enoteca Properzio's page on Trip Advisor, in this picture Marco is cooking in their kitchen.

This picture is taken from an online video of an Umbrian wedding. Marco designed the cake. 

For our class we cooked eggs with truffles over potatoes, pork loin marinated in citrus with pumpkin, risotto with pork cheeks in tomato sauce. Our desert was a soup of fruits and vanilla cream.

Did that make you hungry? It was amazing. And, it was paired with several Umbrian wines. 2015 Giusto di Notri, 2014 Andrea Formilli Fendi, 2014 Pinot Nero, and we tried some grappa at the end but neither one of us cared for it.

One important element in the cooking was the type of olive oil Chef Gubbioti used. He was very particular. Mostly he used Alberto Cipolloni.

All of the wines, food and olive oil were from Umbria. On this trip, we have come to have a much greater understanding of the fabulous wines and olive oil from Umbria.

I was very interested in the risotto. I have never attempted risotto and I asked a million questions.  Chef Gubbioti was very nice and told me all I wanted to know. 

After our culinary adventure, we had to go for a walk. The wine and rich food were overwhelming.  At the park, Hubby D sat on a nice bench and I laid my head in his lap. It was heaven.

Later after a nap, we took a stroll in the town after dark. It was very relaxing and a wonderful end to a marvelous day.

Ciao,

Brenda

Touring the Delightful Vineyards of Italy

While we were in Italy staying at the Enoteca Properzio we visited three vineyards recommended by Roberto Angelini on two separate days. Two vineyards were in Umbria and one in Tuscany.

Traveling to the vineyards, the countryside was magnificent. The changing fall colors made the vistas just stunning.

The following video is one of the first ones I created while driving in Italy. It is a good view of how clean and tidy all the small towns are, however I was not very good at holding the phone steady so it is a bit shaky. 

At the end of the video, we arrive at this amazing vista (pictures are after the video). If you are reading this is an email, you will need to go to my blog to view the video. https://brendahyde.blogspot.com

Here is a link to the video on YouTube.

Wines in Italy are classified much differently than they are in France. One of my goals for this trip was to find out these differences and learn more about Italian wines.

The Italian Wine Classification system is made up of four categories:
DOCG
DOC
IGT
VdT

Researching this information, I found a really good site, TheSpruce that explains the Italian system.

The DOCG classification denotes the highest quality recognition for Italian wines. It is comprised of a relatively limited number of first-class wines. Tuscany and Piedmont carry the most DOCG wines in Italy.

Wines that fall under the DOC category (also good) must be made in specified, government defined zones, in accordance with particular regulations that are intended to preserve the wine's character that is uniquely derived from Italy's individual regions. There are currently over 300 DOC wines in Italy, all adhering to specific vineyard trellising, irrigation and vivification requirements detailing which grapes may be grown and where along with aging requirements and alcohol limits.

Back in the States, we have had some Italian Super Tuscans and wanted to know more about them. Super Tuscans are an unofficial category of Tuscan wines, not recognized within the Italian wine classification system because the grapes used in their production are not originally from Italy. They are varieties imported and grown in Italy.

Here is an explanation that made sense to me from Wikipedia.

In the 1970s a new class of wines known in the trade as "Super Tuscans" emerged. These wines were made outside DOC/DOCG regulations but were considered of high quality and commanded high prices. Many of these wines became cult wines. In the reformation of the Italian classification system many of the original Super Tuscans now qualify as DOC or DOCG wines but some producers still prefer the declassified rankings or to use the Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT - grapes not typical of Italy) classification of Toscana.

Roberto sent us to visit the Tuscan vineyard of Poliziano.  The Super Tuscan wine we tasted was Madrone di Lohsa, I.G.T. made up of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 10% Alicante. Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite grape so now I understand why I like Italian Super Tuscan wines.

Poliziano also had some other excellent wines.

Tuscany was very beautiful and driving was so much fun!

The Tuscan countryside was filled with beautiful vistas and old villas.

Here is a video I took while we were driving in the Tuscan countryside. If you are reading this in an email, you will need to go to my blog to view the video. Be sure to watch for the rooster that almost gets run over at the end.
https://brendahyde.blogspot.com

Here is a link to the video on YouTube.

In Umbria we visited two vineyards.  Tenute Lunelli and Arnaldo Caprai.

The Lunelli vineyard was very different. The Lunelli family purchased the Tenuta Castelbuono estate in 2001 and hired Arnaldo Pomodoro, a well-known contemporary artist to design a new winery. Roberto told us it is the only winery inside of a sculpture. The wine was good and the building was unique. Their signature line is named “Ferrari” and we purchase one bottle to bring back with us.

Some of their wines are fermented inside clay jugs the ancient traditional style.

The barrel room was quite amazing. The spiral form is the stairway leading down from the tasting room.

The building was extremely unique.

Their vines were turning colors and quite beautiful.

The other vineyard we visited in Umbria (also our favorite wine) was Arnaldo Caprai. One of their wines, a Montefalco Sarantino named “25” was one of our favorite wines that Roberto served us. This was also our favorite wine tasting in Italy.

When we arrived they were in the process of bottling the wine. This is a process I have never seen before. It was quite interesting. Here is a video of the process. If you are reading this in an email, you will need to go to my blog to view the video.
https://brendahyde.blogspot.com

Here is a link to the video on YouTube.

I think I have come to appreciate Italian wines. We experienced some wonderful bottles at the Enoteca Properzio and found some wines that we really like. Our palates have definitely been expanded and Italian wines are high on our list of favorites. Roberto also served a white wine one evening that was fantastic. I have never really liked white wines so I was very surprised. Thanks, Roberto!

Our favorite!

After the second day of wine tastings we returned to the Enoteca Properzio and Roberto's family was eating fresh chestnuts (roasted over an open fire) along with wild boar for dinner.

We joined in and shared all our lovely experiences. It was another wonderful evening.

Ciao,
Brenda